                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

FRAUDULENT CONVERSION OR REMOVAL OF LEASED PERSONAL PROPERTY (§ 18.2-118)

A. Whenever any person is in possession or control of any personal property, by
virtue of or subject to a written lease of such property, except property
described in &#xA7; 18.2-117 or in the Virginia Lease-Purchase Agreement Act
(&#xA7; 59.1-207.17 et seq.), and such person so in possession or control shall,
with intent to defraud, sell, secrete, or destroy the property, or dispose of
the property for his own use, or fraudulently remove the same from the
Commonwealth without the written consent of the lessor thereof, or fail to
return such property to the lessor thereof within 30 days after expiration of
the lease or rental period for such property stated in such written lease, he
shall be deemed guilty of the larceny thereof.

B. The fact that such person signs the lease or rental agreement with a name
other than his own, or fails to return such property to the lessor thereof
within 30 days after the giving of written notice to such person that the lease
or rental period for such property has expired, shall be prima facie evidence of
intent to defraud. For purposes of this section, notice mailed by certified mail
and addressed to such person at the address of the lessee stated in the lease,
shall be sufficient giving of written notice under this section.

C. The venue of prosecution under this section shall be the county or city in
which such property was leased or in which such accused person last had a legal
residence.

D. The court shall order a person found guilty of an offense under this section
to make restitution as the court deems appropriate to the lessor. Such
restitution may include (i) the cost of repairing such property; (ii) if the
property is not returned or cannot reasonably be repaired, the actual value of
such property; and (iii) any reasonable loss of revenue by the lessor resulting
from the fraudulent conversion or removal of such property.

HISTORY: Code 1950, § 18.1-117.1; 1966, c. 474; 1975, cc. 14, 15; 1978, c. 675;
2013, c. 536; 2014, c. 56.